The Nationals announced this afternoon they have re-signed Livan Hernandez for 2011.

Hernandez would have been a free agent at season’s end; he signed a minor-league contract with the Nats in February that paid him a base salary of $900,000 once he made the big-league roster, plus incentives.

The 35-year-old right-hander has made a team-high 27 starts this season, going 9-9 with a 3.49 ERA. He’s allowed two earned runs or less in 17 of those 27 starts.

Great move, classy move to reward a guy who has literally saved the Nats' season this year.One less spot up for grabs in 2011's rotation. Some heavy contributors this year are going to be left out in the cold.

Not only has Livo been able to go every fifth day . . . but let's not forget the time the Nats were caught without a starter, and he volunteered to pitch against the Mets on three days rest . . . . he went 6.1 innings, giving up just two runs.Now *that's* a ballplayer!!

Its not such a bad rotation if Marquis pitches like he has in previous years & Livan pitches like he has this year. Of course, Maya has to prove himself. Being great in Cuba is one thing, but being a good MLB pitcher is another. I also think Detwiler would be in the running for a rotation spot and wouldn't mind Stammen being given another shot. He's pitched well in the 2nd half. Also, keep in mind Rizzo's always looking to improve the club, so you can never rule out a trade or a free agent signing.

Anon 10:10, I agree with your rotation except I am certain Lannan being part of it and Olsen will be non tendered this offseason. It is not the best rotation in the league but I think the best Nationals can come up with. What I mean by that is Nats need not sign FA pitchers to help our rotation. This rotation can do the job if we work on our infield defense more. I say that because Lannan, Livan, Marquis, etc are mainly groundout pitchers I believe. If Ryan cuts on his errant throws, Desmond on his mistakes, and we hire a really good defensive 2B in the offseason, this rotation can do much better than expected.

For the innings Livo gives us, this it quite a bargain for the Nats. Plus, he's a good clubhouse guy.When we got Nyger last year I thought we had stolen him from the Pirates. Well, now that the cards are all out on the table it seems a little different. I think he is on very very thin ice right now with Rizzo. I don't think he will be back next year.Mark…..what is the scouting reports on Morse. This guy can't be as good as he appears. I mean, he's been in the minors 10 frickin years. What gives?

Who cares how old he is? The fact that he performs is the one thing that matters. And we might want to cut the FO some slack on future personnel moves. When they signed Livo this spring, that move was panned. Turned out pretty well.

Big Cat said… "Mark…..what is the scouting reports on Morse. This guy can't be as good as he appears. I mean, he's been in the minors 10 frickin years. What gives?"He suffers from "Roberto Petagine Syndrome": a highly thought of prospect that never gets a full chance because he's blocked by someone with "Proven Major Leaguer Syndrome."

Re Michael Morse, to put things in context, Rog Bernadina has spent 9 years in minors; Ian Desmond, 6. FWIW, Jayson Werth has put in 11 years of minor league time. OK, Carlos Maldonado has probably put in a lot of years also.That's why Morse should play regularly the rest of the way: let's see what we got.

Anonymous said… Viva Livo!2011 rotation going into Spring TrainingJZimmMayaMarquisLivoLannan/Olsen August 29, 2010 10:10 PM ____________________________Not a rotation to jump up and down and excited about. Marquis when healthy is a first half pitcher and starts showing his wear going into August.Livan is around a .500 guy. Lannan is around a .500 guy.Maya is totally unproven at this point at the MLB level and JZim doesn't need the pressure of being this team's #1 at this point coming back from TJ.Also, where is Detwiler in the projections? Someone has to step up and hold the fort down!Who is going to be this team's #1 for 2011?

Nattydread said…Mark: Is Livan in the running for Come Back Player of the Year? Who are the top 5 in the NL?As nice a comeback as Livo has had this year, it doesn't stack up to Tim Hudson (15-5, 2.24) coming back from Tommy John surgery.